Ghost Hunters Recap Episode 5.22: Pensacola Lighthouse

Posted by Ron Martin on 11.19.2009

This week on Ghost Hunters, TAPS travels to Florida for a one case gig. Can Britt and Dustin do the job left behind by Clown Team? I think we know the answer to that. In bizarro world, even Amy can start spreading the stories around.

Another week, another show.

Ghost Academy got underway last week and while I didn't see the numbers, there is no reason not to assume that the show got around the same ratings as GH, GHI and Destination Truth. There seems to be a core audience for all of these shows and no matter what happens, these shows will maintain this rating.

Other than that the biggest news around seems to be Donna LaCroix (formerly of both GH and GHI) and her appearance on a paranormal podcast where she may or may not have alluded to Ghost Hunters staging things. She has since backtracked and stated she was not sure what it was she saw. Most anything dealing with it has been taking down (I am assuming due to lawyers), but really it's nothing. Her battle with the production company is a bigger story. When any of these former cast members do interviews, people who want an outright admission will always read between the lines and find something to prove their point. Was she alluding to some chicanery in the interview? Probably. However, this isn't the smoking gun that some people need. This changed no one's mind one way or the other.

As for the current cast, we have an episode of…



On this episode of Ghost Hunters
They continue the 20 second commercial between episodes. How many names can you get in 20 seconds? About five. TAPS is driving to Florida even with Steve not on the team at the moment The girls are getting pushed around in the basement while Britt stays much calmer than I would if a ghost happened to walk right by me. Apparently there is a roster of haunted lighthouses. I want to see this roster!

TAPS Home Office
Kris is excited about this case because it has Civil War connections. Hmmm….this has never excited her before. I think she has a secret boyfriend in Pensacola and that's why she's really excited. The Coast Guard has given them full access of the lighthouse, or so I think – someone edited Kris midsentence.

Grant is very excited.

Jason is very excited that this makes him the ultimate patriot because he is helping the armed forces. Jason for President in '12!

There is video footage of the team driving, which doesn't actually mean that they drove anywhere. It's so bright in Florida, Amy has to wear shades. Amazingly, Dustin is the only other one wearing shades. Oh, did I forget to mention this is the second week that Dustin and Britt are subbing for Clown Team? Yes, I did just giggle like a school girl. I feel like someone just asked me to the Sadie Hawkins dance. Jason wastes no time in namedropping Ghost Academy.

Case #1: Pensacola Lighthouse, Pensacola, Florida

The Investigation
For the second week, Dustin gets to go on the walk through because, well, he's the most TV experienced for TAPS on the show. Officers take turns cleaning everything, but the lighthouse is automated. The boys are double dipping with Richard and Brian tonight. Richard will be our main tour guide for the evening. Grant must have paid Jason $5 because he gets to say "What happened in here?" Metal likes to fly around in the basement where a runaway slave hid in here. Apparently, he haunts the place though no one said whether or not he died in there. A wife murdered a husband in one of the bedrooms which stained the floor. They got the stain up, so there will be no sticky feet tonight. There is a creepy ass mannequin in one of the rooms. Why do these places always have mannequins? I would say you don't have a ghost on your hand, but a possessed mannequin. Jason makes a funny and everyone is obligated to laugh or get their pay cut in half. There's a trapdoor that closes by itself up top. Without Steve, we won't spend five minutes of the show trying to get him to the top of the lighthouse. Jason has another Old Navy special on. I know because I own most of the same shirts.

They try to make a big deal of the setting up process like Dustin and Britt might not be able to set up the cameras. Here's a spoiler – they figured it out. Dustin is not used to putting equipment up because on GHI he is the main man and makes the lowly minions take care of the job.

LIGHTS OUT! Is there some reason for the last three weeks that they have shown nothing but girls turning lights out. Maybe Amy can't concentrate at the meetings because she is turning out so many lights.

Alpha Team calls opening shot and climbs the tower stairs. Immediately the K-II starts lighting up. This week that means ghost activity and not "it just does that sometime." Jason looks up and we get the suspenseful music that climaxes when Jason says he wants to climb the stairs…GASP! Jason admits he has doubts about the K-II because fluctuations it may be picking up from the lighthouse. If it can't be trusted, why is he using it at all? It's before the first break so they are contractually obligated to hear footsteps. They hear noises and what they assume is the trapdoor falling. Grant runs down the steps because that's easier than climbing them. The walking, however, is coming from above. This revelation leads us to…

COMMERCIALS.

Repeat the last 20 seconds or so before Grant tells us what happened in the last 20 seconds. Grant wants to swing free in the breeze and I will leave that up to your interpretation. DIRTY MINDS! They try to sneak up on someone by going either way and meeting on the other side. The sound is still coming from above them. They rule out metal slamming against metal. Jason decides he doesn't know what it is and would like to not be on camera anymore, so…

Team California are climbing to the keeper's quarters. Amy has to keep herself motivated by telling herself what body part she is working out as she walks up each step. Either that or she was providing male viewers with a guide of what they should be looking at. Either way, Amy always seems more comfortable hunting with Britt. All of sudden, Amy is the fountain of knowledge, telling Britt the stories. There have already been like three airplanes heard from outside. That creepy mannequin totally fooled me into thinking a rogue cameraman had been captured. They go to separate sides of the hall where Britt pulls the whole sitting in the air trick with back to one wall and legs squished against the other. Amy declares him a dork because she is a woman and just doesn't understand how cool it is when we do something like that. Britt takes the high road, using indifference as his weapon, but comes down anyways. It's a story that's played through a hundred times. Amy wants to do an EVP session but only gets her demonic stomach to answer. Amy tries to fight the stomach demon, but loses. Britt wants signs (apparently other than Amy's tummy – which could be completely paranormal). He gets a sound that seems like something moving across the floor inside the tower. He spouts off TAPS Company Line #43 and we're out.

I hope Britt's check is bigger than normal as he has to voiceover the transition to him and Dustin in the same place later in the evening or so we're told! Dustin does not have the ever present visor because Jason would take it and step on it. Only Joe Chin could wear a visor and live to tell about it. Dustin starts reminiscing about the St. Augistine lighthouse caper and we get several clips (prominently featuring Brian) from that episode. Dustin wants the ghost to shut the trap door. They decide no weakling ghost could slam it. They want to investigate outside, mostly because it's cooler out there than in there. That and they like using the thermal to look at the horizon. Dustin says it looks like and old video game. I have it on good authority that Dustin used to play Popeye and Ikari Warriors. Dustin almost gives TAPS Company Line #43, but kind of slides it in.

Chick Team proved they are feminists by letting nothing keep them apart. They are in the basement area. Amy said she felt creepy setting up equipment down here. Kris tells the ghost not to be afraid, but who knows if she is going into brat mode or not. I would be a bit apprehensive. Amy takes the "you're totally not special or unique; we do this all the time" approach. Apparently it works because the girls feel a ghostly draft just in time for the…

COMMERCIALS.

Kris must tell us what happened in the recap of what we just saw because we have already forgot. We should all stop smoking weed. I think this is just an excuse for the girls' to tap each other on the head. Amy feels it again. It's a cold draft. The girl's actually do some good ghost hunting as Kris thinks to try and get a thermometer (which probably should have already been on her person) but leaves Amy to continue with the EVP so they don't lose the ghost. When Kris gets back, the girls start making demands of the ghost to get the temperature down to 65 degrees. The ghost obliges. Eeek. They've gotten into trouble with making the temperature go down before. I noticed this time there was no thermal with actual numbers screwing things up.

Alpha Team is in the Keeper's room asking anyone who might be hearing "Were you attacked in here?" over and over and over. Grant just will not give up on the damned question. Jeesh! It's contagious. They are following around some sounds they are hearing. A very dramatic camera switch makes me think something might have happened, but I didn't see nor hear anything.

Team California is on the Keeper's Quarters second floor. Talking to the ghost isn't working so Britt tries the second grade gym exercise of making circles towards the floor. Amy brings the info by saying locals told her there was a birth in the room as opposed to the murder. Stuff was happening, but then stopped. Britt gets Amy to tell the story again to try to get the activity back. It works as they hear footsteps and Britt clears up any confusion on whether or not dying a couple of months after giving birth is a bad thing. According to Britt, it sucks. Amy recaps what we just saw as I hit a bong. What are those shoes Britt is wearing? Amy makes Britt sit down while they do the EVP session. Amy hears something. Britt says the entity walked right by him. Then he repeats it very slowly so the producers know it's time for…

COMMERCIALS.

We get a super-extended repeat of what just happened. Britt heard footsteps walk by him. Amy has Britt walk around the house while she sat in the bedroom to see if the sounds matched. In a reversal of how things usually happen on the show, Team California wants to…what? Keep hunting in the room they are getting activity? Don't they know TAPS protocol of saying something to the extent of…"that was weird" and then walking away? Britt is so not going to get asked back. They take the same spots and Britt talks kids to try and get the ghost's attention. The activity slowly dies out. Amy is impressed but doesn't want to call it paranormal.

Alpha Team is in the basement to try and contact the spirit of the runaway slave who may or may not have died here. The ghost hunting music is getting ridiculous now. Jason is hearing Kris and Amy talking … only…they are not in the lighthouse! Duh-dum-duh! They check it out by investigating up in the house proper, where the camera turns off on its own. Even more impressive, the switch went from ON to OFF. Then it comes on by itself, For the record, Grant is holding the camera. Uhm…while they are talking about the camera there are two screams seemingly from another room. They do not acknowledge this, so I assume it's commonplace and maybe this is the time of night when Kris goes into BDSM mode or something. Something less important happens at the door, but they use it for…
COMMERCIALS.

It's recap time! Jason looks very tired and maybe a little drunk. One of the doors moved and they heard it. Ear of a dog, I tell you. The light is still switching on and off. Grant disappoints me by using the word ‘freaking' instead of ‘friggin."

Dustin and Kris are in the basement because Dustin would like to confront her about the youtube video that was spoken of last week – that and he is contractually obligated to appear twice an episode. Dustin asks if anyone is lurking in the dark. This makes Kris giggle. Possible explanations:

1) Kris is very tired.
2) Kris is stoned
3) Kris ate the same thing Amy ate, but is having a different reaction
4) Kris is visualizing Dustin with his visor

Dustin defends his question as perfectly legitimate. Dustin says everyone has a different approach so working with new people is interesting. He dumbs his question down for Kris' amusement.

WRAP UP.

Jason thinks it has been very interested. Grant says what I am thinking by saying it's all been on the fringes. Do they have anything on tape?

The Analysis
Dustin, Britt and Amy are pulling duty tonight. Amy is sporting the glasses for the first time. The first thing they look at is when Britt declares the lady walked by him. There are footstep sounds to back up his claim. Dustin tosses out some evidence because he is Dustin and he can do this. He even mentions how much Grant kept asking about where someone was attacked. They got an EVP off that that impresses Amy so much they have to go to commercial.

The Reveal
Richard is alone for the reveal. They play the cold breeze angle for the girls in the basement. Richard says this is old news, happens all the time. They go through the camera situation with video footage. This may have been edited out, but I would like them to discuss the possibility of a faulty switch. The infamous Britt footage is next. Richard is glad to have some evidence on footage. Now, the main event – the EVP that is too cool for TV.

Grant: Were you attacked in here?
Ghost: No.

It is pretty clean. We get a little Kris research. She couldn't find anything about a murder. Richard says they didn't have any evidence on the situation. Grant is happy with what they collected. Jason seems to admit that it is paranormal but not dangerous. Jason says they are only a call away. Think he forgot about the 1200 miles?

Richard is impressed.

Cartalk. Guess what? Things went really well. Fistbump.


Fin.

Overall:
One of the best investigations they've had in a long time. I really like the dynamic with Amy and Britt. They work well together. Amy sometimes seems to let Kris handle things a little too much when they are paired together. Dustin and Britt are solid and bring the ghost hunting. This I like.

The camera debacle, I don't know about. It seems a bit strange, but the EVP was good. Maybe Jason and Grant are upping their game to not be shown up by Dustin and Britt? Best show of the season this far.

Later.